Flag extractor for gun



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FLAG EXTRACTOR FOR sun Filed April 7, 1954 Fig.1. 26

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/7 YTORA/EY-i i 2,799,958 I Patented July 23, 1957 FLAG EXTRACTOR FOR GUN Gerhard A. Nothmann, Chicago, and Eugene S. Wassel, Cicero, 11]., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the ecretary of the Army Application April 7, 1954, Serial No. 421,713

9 Claims. (Cl. 42-68) Our invention relates to an electrically fired revolvertype automatic firearm on and more particularly to an extractor therefor.

Such a firearm ordinarily comprises a recoil unit provided with a barrel and slideable on a receiver and an actuator slidably disposed with respect to the recoil unit. The recoil unit includes a rotatable drum provided with cartridge chambers and rollers. Grooves are provided on the drum and the actuator, respectively, for engagement during operation of the actuator to successively index the chambers to a firing position of the drum aligned with the barrel.

The cartridge drum of the firearm usually includes five chambers which respectively dwell in four nonfiring positions during one rotation of the drum while the cartridges in the remainder of the chambers are fired. The chambers are loaded by a feeder in the positions before the firing position and the cases of the spent cartridges are removed from the chambers in the extraction position thereof immediately following the firing position.

Firearms of this type previously employed extractors each including a pawl for engaging the extractor groove of a case chambered in the extraction position and means for engagement with the actuator to displace the pawl from the normal position thereof and remove the case from the drum. The extraction end of the pawl is displaced from the normal position a distance necessary to remove a case from the drum and a spring is provided for recovery of the pawl to the normal position.

The rates of fire of the firearms in which such extractors may be employed are strictly curtailed by the large friction and impact energy absorbed by the extraction mechanism and the consequent long recovery period required for the return to norm-a1 position of the actuator. Accordingly, it is an object of our invention to provide a simple and efficient extraction device for a firearm of the type described, operating at rates of the order of 1500 rounds per minute.

An additional object of our invention is to provide an extractor for such a firearm having a comparatively short inherent recovery period.

Another object of our invention is to provide an extractor mechanism composed of the minimum number of interacting parts to avoid friction and impact losses of energy at the interacting surfaces and thereby attain higher extraction velocities.

A further object of our invention is to provide a cam operated extractor for such a firearm.

Other aims and objects of our invention will appear from the following explanation thereof.

In carrying out our invention a pawl or flag for normally projecting into the extractor groove of a case chambered in the extraction position is secured to the upper end of a shaft journaled in the recoil unit. A spring is wound around the shaft and secured to the pawl and the recoil unit to bias the pawl to the normal position thereof engaging the rear face of the drum.

A cam on the lower end of the shaft and a striker on the actuator are provided for engagement to rotate the pawl and remove the case from the drum.

The shaft is disposed at a minimum distance from the circumference of the drum to limit the length of the pawl and secure an extractor with a minimum operation period.

For a better understanding of our invention, reference is made to the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a partial elevational view of an automatic firearm incorporating our invention;

Fig. 2 is a view along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view along line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view along line 44 of Fig. 2.

According to the drawing, an automatic firearm 12 includes a recoil unit 14 slidable on a receiver 16 by means of feet 18 and an actuator 20 slidable on recoil unit 14 by means of feet 22. I

A barrel 24 is secured to recoil unit 14 and a drum" 26 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 28 journaled in the recoil unit. Drum 26 includes spaced cartridge chambers sup-.

plied with cartridges by a feeder shown generally at 30.v Two of the chambers are respectively shown in the six oclock firing position 32 of the drum aligned with barrel 24 and in the immediately adjacent extraction position 34 of the drum. Spent cartridge case 36 is shown in extraction position chamber 34.

Firearm 12 is provided with a unitary extractor including a pawl 38, splined to one end of a shaft 42, and a cam 48 secured to opposite end thereof. Shaft 42 is journaled in recoil unit 14 for projection of pawl 38 into extractor grooves 40 of cases 36 chambered in extraction position 34. Pawl 38 is biased to a normal position against rear face 44 of drum 26 by a spring 46 wrapped around shaft 42 and secured to recoil unit 14. Shaft 42 is positioned with respect to drum 26 to limit the required length of pawl 38 and hence limit the time required for recovery of the pawl to the normal position after rotation therefrom.

Cam 48 includes a surface "50 for engagement with a surface 52 of a striker 54 secured to actuator 20.

Actuator 20 is forced rearwardly responsive to discharge of a cartridge chambered in drum position 32 and forwardly by energy given up by the rotating drum and to a lesser extent by energy given up by the actuator springs to rotate the case 36 of the spent cartridge to drum position 34 with extractor groove 40 of the case enclosing the end of pawl 38. As actuator 20 continues forwardly in the last substantially 2 /2 inches of the forward stroke, drum 26 is held at rest rotationally and actuator surface 52 engages pawl surface 50 to rotate pawl 38 and remove case 36 from drum 26.

An extractor incorporating our invention operated efliciently at a rate of 1500 rounds per minute.

While the foregoing is a description of the preferred embodiment, the following claims are intended to include those modifications and variations that are within the spirit and scope of our invention.

We claim:

1. In a revolver-type automatic firearm, including a recoil unit, a drum provided with cartridge chambers and rotatably disposed on the recoil unit, and an actuator slidable with respect thereto in a cycle for rotating the chambers, a device for extracting a case from a chamber in extraction position, comprising a unitary device pivoted on the recoil unit for rotation to remove the case from the drum responsive to operation of the actuator.

2. In a revolver-type automatic firearm, including a recoil unit, a drum provided with cartridge chambers and rotatably disposed on the recoil unit, and an actuator slidable with respect thereto in a cycle for rotating the 5 chambers to drum positions including an extraction position, an extraction device for removing a case chambered in the extraction position, comprising a unitary extractor including a pawl pivoted on the recoil unit and disposed for engagement with the actuator to remove the case from the drum responsive to forward operation of the actuator.

3. In a revolver-type automatic firearm, including a recoil unit, a drum provided with cartridge chambers and rotatably disposed on the recoil unit, and an actuator slidable with respect thereto in a cycle for rotating the chambers to drum positions including an extraction position, an extraction device for removing a case chambered in the extraction position, comprising a unitary extractor including a shaft journaled in the recoil unit, a pawl se cured to the upper end of said shaft and a cam secured to the lower end of said shaft for rotating said pawl to remove the case from the drum responsive to forward operation of the actuator.

4. In a revolver-type automatic firearm, including a recoil unit, a drum provided with cartridge chambers and rotatably disposed on the recoil unit, and an actuator slidable with respect thereto in a cycle for rotating the chambers to drum positions including an extraction position, an extraction device for removing a cartridge case chambered in the extraction position, comprising a unitary extractor including a shaft journaled in the recoil unit, a pawl secured to the upper end of said shaft and biased to a normal position for projecting into the extractor groove of the case, and a cam secured to the lower end of said shaft for rotation of the pawl to remove the case from the drum responsive to forward operation of the actuator.

5. In a revolver-type automatic firearm, including a recoil unit, a drum provided with cartridge chambers and rotatably disposed on the recoil unit, and an actuator slidable with respect thereto in a cycle for rotating the chambers to drum positions including an extraction position, an extraction device for removing a cartridge case chambered in the extraction position, comprising a unitary extractor including a pawl biased to a normal position adjacent the drum for projecting into the extractor groove of the case, a shaft secured at the upper end thereof to said pawl and journaled in the recoil unit and a cam secured to the lower end of said shaft for rotation of said pawl to remove the case from the drum responsive to forward operation of the actuator, said shaft being positioned with respect to the drum to limit the length of said pawl for minimum interval of recovery for said extractor.

6. In a revolver-type automatic firearm, including a recoil unit, a drum provided with cartridge chambers and rotatably disposed on the recoil unit, and an actuator slidable with respect thereto in a cycle for rotating the chambers to drum positions including an extraction position, an extraction device for removing a case chambered in the extraction position, comprising a unitary extractor including a shaft journ'aled in the recoil unit, a pawl secured to the upper end of said shaft for extending into the extractor groove of the case, a spring wrapped around said shaft and secured to the recoil unit for biasing said pawl to a normal position adjacent the drum, and a cam and a striker respectively secured to the lower end of said shaft and the actuator for engagement to rotate said pawl and remove the case from the drum responsive to forward movement of the actuator.

7. A device for an automatic firearm having a slide longitudinally reciprocating, a revolver drum adapted to carry cartridges and rotated by said slide, the cartridges being of the type having extractor grooves formed at the ends thereof and located beyond said drum when the cartridges are mounted in the drum, said device comprising a lever swingable in the direction of movement of said slide and having an arm fitting in the extractor groove of the cartridge to swing said lever in opposite directions during a reciprocating movement of said slide, whereby said arm of the lever pulls the cartridge out of the drum during one of the swinging movements.

8. A device in accordance with claim 7 comprising a spring pressing said lever toward one of its end positions.

9. In an automatic firearm having a slide disposed for longitudinal reciprocation, a revolver drum provided with chambers for cartridges and disposed for rotation of the cartridges to an extraction position responsive to the reciprocation, the cartridges having base portions disposed for projection from the chambers and provided witth extractor grooves, an extractor device comprising a lever provided with an arm for projecting into the extractor grooves of the extraction position cartridges, and disposed for operation to remove the cartridges from the drum, responsive to the reciprocation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,656,635 Stevens et al. Oct. 27, 1953 2,708,803 Schneider May 24, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 693,152 Great Britain June 24, 1953 

